The Brooklyn Nets were looking to prove their worth to fans on Wednesday night, putting behind a chaotic summer and dreadful previous season.
How did it go?
Let’s put it this way: fans did not go to sleep happy.
The Nets were taken down by Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans in a surprising 130-108 beatdown on their home court.
This was not the sort of start the team wanted.
Perhaps the most shocking performance of the night was from Kyrie Irving, who was a dud.
He hit just 6-of-19 and went 0-of-6 from the three-point range.
In the end, Irving had 15 points and 5 assists in 34 minutes.
If Kyrie wants to get to the Lakers this season, today was an incredible start.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) October 20, 2022
NBA writer Bill Simmons immediately stoked the flames of a possible trade when he tweeted, “If Kyrie wants to get to the Lakers this season, today was an incredible start.”
And just like that, people are talking about Irving to LA yet again.
Irving In Trouble
There is no doubt that Irving is typically a much better player than he was on Wednesday night.
Therefore, there is reason to believe that he will get better as the season goes on.
Yes, he could be in an All-Star state again soon.
He better hope that happens because the Nets need Irving to be playing well if they wish to have any semblance of a rebound year.
As we have seen, Kevin Durant alone cannot get the Nets through the playoffs, the team needs the skill and smarts of Irving.
Sadly, they didn’t see any of that on Wednesday night.
Conventional wisdom has said that Iriving will likely leave the Nets in next year’s offseason.
If he keeps playing like this, that timetable might move up.
NEXT: Kyrie Irving Promises Big Things For The Nets
